Strangers adding bad information to my tree

Louise A. Sieminski

I have found people NOT related to me or my ancestors making incorrect changes to my tree. Why can't you stop this FamilySearch???

Áine Ní Donnghaile

The FamilySearch tree is a single, collaborative tree. There are no separate trees here. Anyone can edit nearly anything.

There are a number of sites where you can have a tree that no one else can change or contribute to. FamilySearch is not one of those.

genthusiast

@Louise A. Sieminski You still have a tree in FamilySearch Family Tree (no worries) - yes it is shared - but it's still yours (your family/relations ...who are likely related to numerous distant cousins).

Certainly FamilySearch does not share edit privileges so that shared contributors can willy nilly replace good information with bad - but some people do exactly that - and do not take needed caution with well-sourced profiles. Recently FamilySearch has introduced an Alert Note to make others aware of your hard work in contributing well-sourced profiles to the Family Tree - and hopefully impede others from making changes when they are not needed nor truthful/correct. Hopefully this impedence measure will have the desired effect (if not I would consider the changes destructive/abusive to the former profile contributors - hopefully FamilySearch would take action against such. I hope they are keeping stats on edits of Alert Note profiles). I would suggest you take advantage of this new Alert Note feature for any profiles you do not want edited from their current state (hopefully well-sourced).

You can add an Alert Note to any profile you wish (at least for those that currently do not have one) through the Details> Notes card in the right-hand column or through the Collaborate tab (at top of person page):

Paul B Keyser

I agree 100% with Louise. It goes beyond being frustrated when inaccurate records are associated with your bloodline simply because the given and surname are the same. I've spent over two years finding records for my grandfather only to have someone "contribute" the wrong information about his parents and siblings.

If the goal of FamilySearch is to assure that ancestors can be sealed isn't it essential that the correct information be associated with the correct bloodline relative?

It's one thing to offer discoveries to other members, sharing information you've found to an ancestor with a similar name. Yet it's another thing to freely, yet unknowingly, modify a profile with information that is not right. Unless you are okay with anyone adding anything they like because they "believe" it's right.

Massimo C.

Dear @Louise A. Sieminski ,

As said before FS is a collaborative tree, so here the entire procedure for reversing changes and get in contact with the user.

It is usually a good idea to reach out to the other user since—like you—he or she likely feels a strong attachment to the ancestor. Perhaps you can work together to achieve a fuller, richer account of your ancestor than you would if you work by yourself.

I hope this can help!

https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-see-what-changes-have-been-made-about-a-person-in-family-tree

SL Terry

Thank you for the comments about the alert system. This is very helpful to know.